Meet Our Host Teacher Diana Nalule

I am teacher of Information and Communication Technology ages 13-20 at Lubiri Secondary School in Kampala the capital city of Uganda. I graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Information Technology from Makerere University in 2009 and i got a Diploma in Education in the field of Business studies  (Commerce, Accounts) in 2002 in Uganda. I have been teaching since 2003. During spring semester 2014, I studied at The College of Saint Rose as exchange teacher in USA, i did internship at Albany Community Charter School, and  i also visited Guilderland High School. My visit to the USA under the International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP) was sponsored by the USA department of state, and organized by IREX.

Lubiri Secondary in Kampala, Uganda

About Lubiri SS

      I am very proud of my school because it is the best performing school in the region. There is a lot of team work to achieve this, however team teaching and co-teaching is perceived very differently as you will observe. It is seen as a teacher standing in for another when they are absent. Rarely do 2 or more teachers go to a class for the lesson.
      The school has the highest population in Kampala 4500 students, this attributed to it good performance that many parents want to enroll their children. The higher the enrollment the better the standard of living for teachers. Students and Teachers are provided with free meals so there is no need to pack.
      It is a government (public) school however students pay tuition. This means that the teachers are paid well compared to other schools that do not pay school fees at all.
Lubiri SS a prestigious school because it was founded by a king from one the strongest kingdoms in Uganda. The name "Lubiri" means palace.

Students are very disciplined and they respect teachers. 

I was inspired to make changes when i returned home because i  learnt so many things in the USA. i am struggling to implement group work, discussion and a number of student centered methods but they seem weird here. We do a lot theory lessons because we have few laboratories and equipment compared to the number of students. We use a lot of teacher centered methods versus student centered methods. Note taking is commonly used because it is an indicator of content coverage. I am very interested together with the TCG team to demonstrate student centered methods to teachers here.

I have shared about the TCG program and many teachers are interested in interacting with you.

We are looking forward to meeting you,

My Uganda Team!

Kirstin Bullington, Science and Engineering Teacher

W.J. Keenan High School
Columbia, South Carolina
Kirstin Bullington has been teaching science and engineering for the past ten years at W.J. Keenan High School in Columbia, SC. Her students range in age from 14-18. Kirstin also mentors the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics team at her school, as well as community junior FIRST Lego League teams (ages 6-9) within the community. Kirstin received her bachelors' degrees in biology and music from the University of Evansville in 1999, and her master's degree in international health in 2002 from Tulane University. Prior to teaching, she served as a health specialist volunteer in the Peace Corps, Togo. Her primary objective for participating in TGC is to bring a greater global perspective to her classroom, in order to better prepare her students to become productive global citizens.

Diana Gibson, Chemistry Teacher

Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy, Capitol Hill Campus
Washington, D.C.
Diana Gibson has been teaching chemistry at Cesar Chavez PCS since 2012.  She teaches mainly juniors, ranging in age from 16-17, and on average, there are 22 students in her class.  Diana sponsors the Wilderness Leadership and Learning program at her school, where students learn personal leadership, goal-setting, and positive risk-taking through wilderness and life-skill challenges.  Partnering with Georgetown University’s RISE and Teach program, Diana has also supervised and mentored student teachers in her classroom.  She serves as a part of the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s Science Leaders Cadre, and has been recognized at her school for increasing student engagement and using hands-on, accessible instruction.  Previously, from 2009-2012, Diana taught a wide variety of science subjects to grades 8-11 at Escuela Bilingüe Honduras, a private bilingual school in Comayagua, Honduras. After attending one of the nation’s top science and technology public high schools (Thomas Jefferson HS in Alexandria, VA), Diana got her Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the College of William and Mary in 2004.  She earned her Master of Education degree, focusing in curriculum, instruction, and environmental education from Concordia University of Portland in 2012. Her primary objectives for participating in TGC are to gain insight on instructional techniques used globally, and to develop cross-cultural understanding exercises that can be used in her classroom.  She also wants to positively impact the curriculum and development of Ceiba, an experiential learning program in Guatemala for which she serves as a board member.